A/N: Thank you for stopping by! This is my first time writing in the Marauder's era, so please be gentle if things seem a little off kilter! First I'd like to give credit, where it is due and say that Truly was inspired by Effy on the British TV series skins, but you'll definitely see a lot of differences between Effy and Truly as the story goes on. Anyway I'll cut the author prefacing and let you get to the story!
Chapter 1
I, Truly Adams am not that special. Especially in comparison to my brother, Robbie Adams who was practically the king of Hogwarts during his time there. First of all, he continued the Adams legacy by being sorted into Ravenclaw, I unfortunately broke that chain by being sorted into Gryffindor. Then he proceeded to become Captain of the Quidditch team by his third year, was a total ladies man by his fourth and by the time he got to his seventh year he was Head Boy and the top of his class. Robbie definitely had a great run at Hogwarts, but even after he graduated his success continued, he became a totally bad ass Auror at the Ministry of Magic. When I started my first year right after he graduated everyone expected me to be just as spectacular as Robbie. Maybe it was the looks, I had to admit, Robbie and I were always complimented on our looks. We both had dark wavy brown hair, his was always neatly groomed, while mine fell down to the bottom of my rib cage, fair skin, perfectly sized noses and lips and what was mostly remarkable about our appearances were our eyes. Our left eye was green while our blue eye was right. Everyone always talked about how we looked so much alike, if I were older people would probably think we were twins or something. Despite constantly living in his shadow, Robbie was my best and only friend. I felt like he was the only person in the world I could actually trust. But enough about Robbie, we were talking about how I, Truly Adams am not that special...I mean the only two things I had going for me were my looks and painting. Other than that I was an average student, I wasn't really that social, while Robbie was blocking quaffles and taking out girls when he was at Hogwarts, I was locking myself up in my dormitory painting to the excellent sounds of The Beatles. Plus the only thing I was notorious for was never saying a peep. It wasn't that I thought I was better than everyone, I just never really had any desire to get to know anyone ever. The whole process of making friends just seemed futile, creating sacred bonds that were just going erode with the passage of time. Hah, no thanks. I was much more comfortable watching from a far and keeping my mouth shut.
I now sat in an empty compartment on the Hogwarts Express headed for my final year at Hogwarts. I had to admit I was extremely nervous, I wasn't exactly sure what I wanted to do when I graduated. Sighing loudly I began to stare out at the greenery that was passing me by, trying to shove other thoughts in my head to replace my graduation anxiety. Oh look a bird, how nice...
"Excuse me, do you mind if I sit in here? I promise I won't be a bother, I just need to finish going over my summer assignments and my bloody friends would not stop distracting me." A familiar face said as they burst into my compartment. It was one of the infamous Marauders, Remus Lupin. I slowly broke my gaze out the window and made eye contact with him. Remus and I were in the same class since first year, but of course I never talked to him. In fact, I thought his group of friends were extremely irritating with their childish antics. It looked like he grew a few inches over the summer and he would easily tower of my whopping stature of five foot three. He seemed like quite the lanky seventeen year old, but he had a definite toned look to him at the same time. It wasn't hard to notice that he was looking sicker and sicker as the years went on, the reason why was a mystery to me but I always had this strange feeling in my gut that there was something different about him. His hazelnut colored hair had gotten longer than usual and was starting to fall into his light brown eyes. He was sporting a striped maroon fitted t-shirt that revealed arms that looked like they were scarred fairly recently and a pair of jeans and some beat up converse. One had to admit Remus Lupin was a pretty attractive guy, but I wasn't going to break years of silence for a guy. That would be the day hell froze over. So, I just stared at him and blinked.
"Oh hello Truly, I will take your silence as a yes." Remus assumed and sat directly across from me "you...look nice." I looked down at my outfit to remember what I threw on this morning. It was a bright red mini dress with long lacy red sleeves that flared out at the ends with a pair of black tights and my signature tattered black combat boots. Remus was probably just trying to be nice because he was clearly intruding my personal space, everyone knew that Truly Adams did not like to share train compartments. I looked back up at him and saw that his nose was already stuck in a copy of Unfogging the Future. Thinking staring out the window was not a good enough distraction for my brain I decided to pull out my sketch book and began lightly sketching the outline of a red winged black bird in flight.
We both sat in silence for what seemed like a half an hour or so, him checking over scrolls of parchment and referencing various text books and me sketching away, forgetting there was even another person sitting across from me. That was definitely the one thing I loved most about drawing and painting, having the whole world melt away while I illustrate my imagination on paper.
Suddenly my compartment door opened once again, followed by a whole lot of noise. "There you are Moony! We have been looking compartment after compartment for you...I wasn't done telling you about the blonde I met at my cousin's birthday!" It was Sirius Black followed by James Potter and Peter Pettigrew who were sniggering like fools. Sirius and James were certainly deserving of fan clubs at our school, both of them were incredibly tall and had athletic physiques, most likely due to Quidditch training. They were both so conventionally attractive it was ridiculous. They both sported the "I don't have to try to be this good looking" attitude and that in itself was enough to turn me off completely. Sirius sat down roughly, bumping my arm causing a thick gray pencil mark to ruin the bird I had been sketching which irritated me thoroughly. James sat next to him and Peter took a seat next to Remus and his textbooks. Remus looked up wearily and saw my annoyed expression, he immediately gave me an apologetic look.
"Yeah, I want to hear the rest of his story and Padfoot refused to tell the rest until we found you...every one needs to experience the story in it's full amazingness at the same time he says" James threw his hands up in the air while he spoke as if this wasn't the first time Sirius has pulled something like this.
"Anyway she was a total babe, I mean she was blonde with an ace body AND she was twenty." Sirius said, completely ignoring my presence.
"Look guys, I told you I needed to take a last look over my summer assignments, this is our last year! I'm making sure I start off on the right foot, and I already invaded Truly's compartment, promising her there would be no disruption and now you've all just barged in here..." Remus was trying so very hard to fix the situation. I glued my eyes to my sketch book and began to erase the hideous gray mark that was obstructing my blackbird.
"Oh, Truly how could I have missed a morsel like you? Look at the poor dear she's speechless. Don't worry doll it happens." Sirius turned to me and placed his hand on my leg, knowing I wouldn't say anything. My eyes darted up meeting his, pure rage burning through my different colored eyes.
"She doesn't mind Remus otherwise she would have said something" Peter piped up. I rolled my eyes, everyone knows I never really say anything outside of class. I shoved my sketch book in my bag and began to get up.
"Exactly Moony she doesn't mind." Sirius said pushing my leg down, preventing me from leaving. He obviously didn't want to move compartments again so he was forcing me to stay put to appease Remus. By this time I was completely furious, on the verge of yelling at the filthy git. But I wasn't going to waste my first words on an asshole like Sirius. This isn't the first time he's tried to get a rise out of me. I suppose he'll feel some sort of triumph if I actually said something to him. So I sat and stared out the window. Remus sighed loudly, feeling defeated and shut his textbook, so he could give Sirius his full attention.
"So like I was saying, she was standing there at the gift table drinking a glass of butterbeer, totally looking me up and down. I gave her a little waggle of the eyebrows and motioned towards the coat closet. She instantly put down her glass and scurried inside, I followed her feeling quite proud of myself for bagging an older woman and then the two of us start going at it right? Well little blondie likes it prettty rough so in the throes of passion the two of us are rockin' and rollin' in the coat closet and all of a sudden the door swings WIDE OPEN and there stands Narcissa horrified, I mean I suppose she had the right to be the girl was down to her knickers...Narcissa screamed and claimed I ruined her party. My mum went ballistic! But all in all it was so worth it." I didn't even have to be looking at Sirius to know he had on the smuggest expression while he was telling the story.
"Nice one mate, AND with an older woman!" James said laughing so hard he was holding his sides "Of course not even an older woman could pull my eye from Evans."
"We know James, we know. Maybe this year you'll actually bag her." Sirius swatted James on the back of the head.
"Well congratulations Sirius, that was a superb story." Remus said sarcastically.
"You always know how to flatter the women" Peter said his eyes shining.
Now that the story was over, and the attention was successfully taken off of whether or not I minded them in my compartment I tried to make a break for it once again.
"Too good for us there angel face?" Sirius said as soon as I stood up, I stopped and glared at him.
"Just leave the girl alone Padfoot haven't you given her enough trouble?" Remus pleaded, seeing my discomfort. I looked at him surprised he was actually sticking up for me...he didn't even know me. He must have noticed my softened expression because he smiled at me.
"Fine let the mute pass." Sirius crossed his arms and slumped down, it was as if I offended him or something, he was probably appalled I wasn't throwing myself at him.
I made my way to the compartment door, ticked off I had to find an empty compartment this far into the train ride. Before I left completely I had felt the huge impulse to turn around and silently thank Remus for saving me from Sirius' torment, before I knew it the impulse that started at the pit of my stomach boiled over so quickly and that impulse turned into a need that travelled up my throat and made my vocal chords dance. "Thanks" I blurted out towards Remus. I felt my eyes get wider, and I immediately turned back around and stormed out of the compartment.
I couldn't believe it. I actually said something to him. It was the first thing I said to anyone at this ruddy school. Holy shit. That was the most social I had ever been my whole time at Hogwarts. I didn't even mean to say anything! The 'thanks' came out before I even realized I had spoken. I walked down the hall of the train looking desperately for an empty compartment. I was lucky to find one just three compartments away from my last, it must have been the one all the Marauders had ditched. I slid the door open furiously and plopped down onto a seat. This was definitely going to be an interesting year at Hogwarts.